Enterprise relationship planning tools tie different departmental applications together within a company. For example, ERP systems allow changes by the human resources department to an employee's vacation time to be seen by the accounting department to adjust the employee's pay accordingly. A call center department benefits from ERP systems by allowing a call representative to view and update a customer's information in the company's records. Typically, in large companies, each individual application within the ERP system is used by one individual or set of individuals. However, small to medium sized companies often require employees to perform various roles within a company. A CFO may oversee the accounting department, and at the same time, handle the human resources function. A receptionist may field and direct incoming calls and serve as a secretary.
Performing various tasks across departmental functions often requires an individual to switch between departmental applications. Today, these multitasking individuals are required to switch between different applications on their computer to address the needs of the respective departmental functions. Otherwise, the individuals use multiple, distinct systems, one for each departmental function. Hunting through the various running applications to locate the one to serve the current need can waste valuable resources. This can most clearly be seen when the individual must process a large number of tasks on various departmental applications. Each context switch requires time and slows the individual down. The disadvantages of tedious context switching processes become particularly acute when an employee must perform call center functions that require real time response to company customers. Customers are indifferent to the needs of small to medium-sized businesses (such as the delay associated with a multitasking operator searching for the right application to serve the customer's need). They expect the same type of support they are accustomed to receiving from the business's larger competitors.
To illustrate, a customer service representative in a small to medium-sized software company may also perform software development functions. Engaged in development, the employee may receive an incoming call from a customer attempting to return a product. The developer must locate and run the appropriate applications needed to address the customer return, such as an accounting program to adjust for the cost of the returned product, a stockroom application to adjust for the incoming product, a user account program to reflect that the user will no longer be a customer, and a database program to deactivate the user's on-line account. Delays associated with searching for and launching these appropriate applications may cause the customer to wait an exorbitant amount of time. What's more, the developer's productivity would suffer because of the extended time in launching the appropriate applications. Keeping a separate computer at each developer's work station that also fields incoming calls raises costs. Small to medium-sized companies with tight budgets cannot afford such luxuries. Keeping all of the appropriate applications open on the developer's computer clutters the developer's screen, reducing efficiency, and further still requires searching through the numerous, open applications for the appropriate application to address the customer's needs.
Therefore, a need exists for a system and method for efficiently switching between different applications within ERP systems. Various hardware and software devices allow an application to be switched in response to an event. Hotkeys on keyboards may launch various applications. Incoming mail may be automatically displayed to the user when it arrives. This functionality allows users to quickly change applications to perform new tasks. Such a system may be suited to solve the problem of efficient context switching.